Level of Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Palliative Care for People with Advanced Dementia in Spain: Role of Professional and Academic Factors.

Background: Providing quality end-of-life care to individuals with advanced dementia is crucial. To date, little attention has been paid to palliative care knowledge and attitudes toward palliative care for people with advanced dementia in Spain.

Objectives: To investigate the knowledge of and attitudes toward palliative care for advanced dementia among registered nurses and physicians in Spain.

Knowledge and Attitudes towards Palliative Care: Validation of the Spanish Version of Questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia.

Background: Palliative care is essential in the care of people with advanced dementia, due to the increasing number of patients requiring care in the final stages of life. Nurses need to acquire specific knowledge and skills to provide quality palliative care. The Questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia (qPAD) is useful for assessing knowledge and attitudes toward palliative care, but its adaptation to the Spanish language and analysis of its effectiveness and usefulness for the Spanish culture is lacking.

Palliative care for advanced dementia: Knowledge and attitudes of long-term care staff.

Aims And Objectives: To investigate the knowledge of and attitudes towards palliative care for advanced dementia and their associations with demographics among nursing staff, including nurses and nursing assistants, in long-term care settings.

Background: Nursing facilities are places where persons with dementia die; therefore, providing quality end-of-life care to residents with advanced dementia is crucial. To date, little attention has been paid to palliative care practice for patients with advanced dementia.

Healthcare Benefits for Veterans: What Home Care Clinicians Need to Know.

As the world prepares for an increasingly aging population with chronic debilitating diseases, the demand for home healthcare services is increasing. As such, home healthcare clinicians face increased pressure to find resources and continuing support for patients. One area that may be underutilized is accessing Veteran benefits.

A Japanese booklet about palliative care for advanced dementia in nursing homes.

Background: A Canadian guide for nursing home staff on comfort care for dementia has been translated and adapted for use in Japan. The present study piloted educational intervention for nursing home staff using the Japanese comfort care booklet.

Method: Some 61 nursing home staff (nurses and other care workers) completed a session that included pre-assessment, a 30-minute seminar using the comfort care booklet, post-assessment, and a one-hour debriefing meeting.

Pain management education in long-term care: it can make a difference.

Acute and chronic pain management for persons residing in long-term care settings is a serious problem. In an effort to change practice in pain management and improve resident outcomes, the Campaign Against Pain education program was instituted at Beatitudes Health Care Center in Phoenix, Arizona. In this pilot study, professional and certified nursing assistant (CNA) staff were surveyed before and after the training program to ascertain change in knowledge, attitudes, and barriers about pain.

Development of the questionnaire on palliative care for advanced dementia (qPAD).

The Questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia (qPAD) is a 2-part instrument that measures long-term care staff knowledge, and beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes about palliative and end-of-life care for persons with advanced dementia. Factor analyses of the Knowledge Test (coefficient α = .81) produced 3 factors: Anticipating Needs, Preventing Negative Outcomes, and Insight and Intuition (coefficient α = .

Cultural and spiritual considerations in palliative care.

Culture is a fundamental part of one's being. Spirituality is integrated with culture and both play a significant role in a person's journey through life. Yet, culture and spirituality are often misunderstood and may not seem to be important in healthcare settings.

Ten best practices to enhance culturally competent communication in palliative care.

Communication involves a 2-way process of sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages. Communication is socially constructed and embedded in culture. This paper addresses the connection between communication and culture and provides several areas of importance to consider when assuring that individualized care is provided for persons with cancer and their families.

Palliative care for advanced dementia.

Advanced dementia is a terminal condition; however, research has revealed that affected individuals are subjected to multiple intrusive and burdensome interventions. Individuals with advance dementia require palliative care long before their death. This article reviews selected approaches that support personhood, explain behavior management principles, assure meaningful connections for activities of daily living, minimize weight loss, and explain advance directives and medical management best practices in palliative care for advanced dementia.

Emergency preparedness.

The Boy Scout motto is "be prepared," but can your home health agency abide by this standard? The post-9/11 days of 2001 and the natural disasters that have threatened people and plagued our home and countries abroad illustrate the heightened level of awareness and preparedness home healthcare agencies must achieve to satisfactorily meet emergency preparedness standards. Community-based nurses often are on the front line of response to a man-made, biological, or naturally occurring event. You may have been assigned to work on a plan for your agency's response or have had questions asked about preparedness by your clients and family members.

Emergency preparedness for the home healthcare nurse.

Recent events are quickly becoming the hard teacher: giving tests of preparedness first, then allowing for lessons afterward. However, each emergency teaches valuable lessons about assessment and preparation, and each lesson learned can be integrated into assessment of and preparation for the next event. This article outlines key steps that home care nurses can take to ensure patient safety during emergencies or disasters.

NPs vs other healthcare providers in end-of-life care.

As nurse practitioners become more vital to primary care, they are also more apt to play a role in end-of-life care. In order to be proficient providers, NPs must familiarize themselves with issues surrounding EOL care.

What's new in Alzheimer's disease?

Major changes in the care and treatment of dementia of the Alzheimer's type have been made, and more are looming on the horizon. This article presents current information regarding pathology, diagnosis, causes, and treatment options. Additionally, the newest medications and alternative approaches to this prevalent disease are discussed.